1. Field
Example embodiments herein relate to a carbon dioxide adsorbent including a mesoporous inorganic oxide, a method of preparing the same, a capture module for carbon dioxide including the same, and a method of separating carbon dioxide using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A considerable increase in the concentration of global atmospheric CO2, one of the greenhouse gases, has raised concern about climate change and has led to increasing efforts in research and development on control of CO2 emissions. The main CO2 emission sources include fossil fuel-based power plants, vehicles, and manufacturing plants for cement, limestone, hydrogen, ammonia, and the like. Capture and separation of carbon dioxide from fixed facilities such as various power plants or factories are considered as first measures for the control of CO2 emissions. The capture of carbon dioxide refers to a process of physically or chemically separating CO2 from a gas mixture exhausted from chemical reactions or combustion of fossil fuels. For capturing CO2 by adsorption, carbon materials, zeolites, and metal-organic framework (MOF) materials are used, but they show a certain level of adsorption efficiency only at a relatively low temperature below about 200° C., and thus are not suitable for being used in CO2 adsorption at a relatively high temperature. Among fixed CO2-emission facilities, a considerable amount of carbon dioxide are emitted from fossil fuel-based power plants (e.g., an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) system or a thermoelectric power plant) and natural gas wells. The carbon dioxide adsorbent for such facilities should be able to adsorb carbon dioxide at a relatively high temperature, for example, about 200° C. to 550° C. When carbon dioxide is adsorbed to the adsorbent, a carbonate bond may form, which may entail consuming a greater amount of energy for desorption.